Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood: An Offbeat Summer Classic

Despite the majority of the film taking place on one eventful February day, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, since its release has been not only a go-to summer favourite, but a favourite of every other season when I’ve needed a reminder of what it’s like to see the sun. 

The film is caked in nostalgia for the end of Hollywood's golden age and the final summer of the 60s, and quite ironically, I find myself experiencing a very similar sense of nostalgia for the time when this movie first hit the scene. 

I first saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in the cinema in late July 2019, which was life-changing for me in more ways than one. It came at the perfect time for me, as an obsession with 1960s music and fashion had been brewing in me, and was in the early days of my film nerd-dom. I don’t think any movie had grabbed my attention up to this point in my life quite like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood did, and the rest of my summer was spent blasting Paul Revere and the Raiders as if I were Sharon Tate, and wearing bellbottoms evocative of the ones Mikey Madison dons in the film (OG passenger on the Mikey hype train here). 

However, life tends to imitate art, and as the 2010s decade closed a very big change was on the horizon. In the subsequent years since its release, I find myself looking back on this time with the same nostalgic lens as Quentin Tarantino did for 1969. His hazy memories of glittery Hollywood Boulevard marquees, the real Don Steele show and TV cowboys accompanied by faint sprinklings of violence, war, and creepy hippie girls paint a perfect portrait of an era through slightly rose-tinted glasses. 

This euphoric, sun-soaked portrait of Los Angeles has a sense of evil looming over it (that is, to anyone privy to the real life story of the Manson family and Sharon Tate), which is what gives the movie such a unique atmosphere. The warm breeze through the Hollywood Hills is just as important to building the world as the lurking Charles Manson. From the moment the opening credits roll, the screen is bursting with an exciting and gleeful energy in spite of the central theme and characters of the film. Little vignettes of simple pleasures are scattered throughout the story which help to flesh out the humanity within the film, like Sharon driving down the freeway to Brentwood, and Rick Dalton in his pool with tape player and drink in hand.

Tarantino's signature over-the-top stylization in his work is on full display in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, having his characters model now iconic wardrobe pieces, such as Sharon Tate's yellow go go set from the Playboy Mansion party, the Bohemian crochet top Margaret Qualley's Pussycat wears, and arguably the most memorable being Cliff Booth's floral Hawaiian shirt. In addition to the visuals, Tarantino's famous use of music is perfected in this film.

The soundtrack just as effectively fleshes out the world and atmosphere Tarantino curates. The jam-packed compilation of 60s deep cuts leaves little traces of the psychedelic summer of love two years prior (a movement that at the time was hanging on by a thread and living its final days as Manson would soon kill the hippie movement), and old jingles sprinkled in for “creamy” Mug root beer, Tanya sun tan butter, and Clairol Summer Blonde hair dye with the motto “Say the sun did it!” assist in painting a picture of ever-sunny LA. 

Neil Diamond's mellow track “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” and the lyrics “Hot August night / And the leaves hanging down / And the grass on the ground smelling sweet” blast through Cliff Booth's car radio upon his second encounter with Pussycat. It's such an effective use of music in the film to mold the environment, as well as a personal favourite of mine. Another brilliant example of Tarantino masterfully setting the mood is with José Feliciano's melancholy rendition of “California Dreamin’ ” which plays as the sun sets on Los Angeles and our main characters drive home from their respective days of adventure. Regardless of tumultuous days on set and perilous run ins with cults, the beauty of driving through Hollywood at night accompanied with this track makes for a serene sensation.

Some songs are used as Easter eggs in a way thematically tying into subjects in the film. One eerie cut includes The Mamas and the Papas track "Twelve Thirty”, an airy and euphoric folk track which provides a sinister foreshadowing for the audience when the needle is literally dropped by would-be victim Jay Sebring the night of August 9th, and the lyric “Young girls are coming to the canyon.” plays over members of the Manson family driving up Cielo.

The electrifying final act turns the film at breakneck speed from a Dazed and Confused -esque hangout film to a signature Tarantino bloodbath, finally breaking the ominous tension that had slowly built up thus far and allowing for the viewer to break out in rowdy celebration. As the film draws to a close, a mix of leftover adrenaline from the acid and flamethrower-fueled carnage as well as a sense of relief washes over. Left with the peaceful silence of the Hollywood Hills that fateful August night- a night that narrator Kurt Russell cites earlier on as “On record the hottest night of the year” we are lulled into a sense of satisfaction and optimism as the credits roll.

So, when I find myself California Dreamin’ on such a rainy Vancouver winter's day, I know it’s time to bask in the safety and warmth of my favourite Los Angeles fable.